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The year-old Little Collins is Amsterdam's first bona fide brunch mecca. In a tile-and-concrete dining room, chef Georgina Patterson serves up global flavors inspired by her native Melbourne, like crispy-chewy crepes with 15-spice kasundi mustard sauce. The coffee, per Aussie standards, is superb, but for maximum impact, order a hangover-annihilating Mexicana Bloody Mary, a bracing twist on the standard, featuring tequila, coriander, lime, and chile.

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With sparkling canals, peerless museums, and a uniquely permissive culture, Amsterdam has always been an easy sell. The food, however, has been a different story. For years, the city’s restaurants offered little beyond fusty fine dining, lackluster steak-and-pasta joints, and vending-machine croquettes with indeterminable fillings. Recently, though, an adventurous sense of fun has joined the table, informed partly by the casual-setting/serious-cooking ethos that’s transformed many American restaurants. A new food culture is emerging, rooted in Dutch ingredients and shaped by the creative imaginations of chefs trained in (and bored with) Continental standbys. The result is a genuinely exciting eating destination, a city that’s launching a new culinary tradition of its own. It’s about time.

Amsterdam: Where to Stay
What was once a Catholic charity that baked bread for the poor is now home to The Dylan Amsterdam, a luxe 40-room hotel. The space is stunning: soaring ceilings, wood beams, and 19th-century ovens built into the brick walls of Vinkeles, the Michelin-starred restaurant.

Pedal Power
In Amsterdam, the bicycle is king–and even the king rides a bicycle. The city is so flat and compact, the infrastructure so irreproachable, it seems to have been built for bikes. You won’t see much spandex (or many helmets), but rather businessmen heading to work in suits and stylish parents powering wheelbarrow bikes overflowing with dogs and children. I rented an omafiet (“grandma’s bike”) during my stay and rode it everywhere. It’s euphoric. Plus, if your idea of sightseeing is going from one meal to the next, burning a few calories between, say, brunch and lunch seems prudent. Head to Bike City (68-70 Bloemgracht, +31-20-626-3721) for classic black cruisers ($20 per day) and accessories, like kid-friendly trailers.

The year-old Little Collins is Amsterdam's first bona fide brunch mecca. In a tile-and-concrete dining room, chef Georgina Patterson serves up global flavors inspired by her native Melbourne, like crispy-chewy crepes with 15-spice kasundi mustard sauce. The coffee, per Aussie standards, is superb, but for maximum impact, order a hangover-annihilating Mexicana Bloody Mary, a bracing twist on the standard, featuring tequila, coriander, lime, and chile.